This week we caught up with Team Paddler Sal Montgomery. Currently Sal is loving life in the South West and she’s probably best known for her big kayaking expeditions abroad. Make sure to check out her Youtube channel for kayaking tips and to keep up with her adventures.
Name
Sal Montgomery 
Where are you currently based?
Bristol
Where are you based when in the UK?
It varies, but I tend to spend a lot of my UK-time in Devon (trying to catch the Upper Dart when it’s in!)
What is your day job?
Kayaker
Where did you grow up?
Nottingham
When and how did you get into kayaking?
A few friends threw me around in a duo a few years ago at Holme Pierre Pont- I loved it and was instantly addicted to whitewater!
Favourite kayaking discipline?
Whitewater Expeditions/ rivers (although freestyle in the sun is a lot of fun too!)
What boat(s) do you paddle?
Pyranha Ripper, 9R2 and Jed
Where’s your favourite river or place to paddle in the UK and why?
Upper Dart and East Lynn. Awesome whitewater, with loads of fun moves on offer and a great paddling community!
Where’s your favourite river or place to paddle outside the UK and why?
Too many places, but I guess it would have to be Chile. There’s an incredible amount of whitewater out there! The style is super varied too, with steep creeks and big waterfalls, as well as your big volume rivers such as the Futaleufú.
Tell us a bit about your favourite kayaking adventure
Probably the Bhutan exped. Nothing really beats paddling challenging rapids all day every day, camping on beaches, and being in a super small close team. Oh and being surrounded by tigers was pretty cool!
What advice would you give to someone new to kayaking?
Just get out and have fun. If you like it, then do more!
River Legacy supports grassroots paddling and encourages participation in paddlesport, how important is that to you and what would you like to see RL do over the next couple of years?
Well I think that kayaking is awesome and if more people get to experience that, then that’s pretty cool!
What is your favourite River Legacy event and why?
I was in the UK for last year’s Teifi Tour, which was very muddy but a lot of fun!
What are your plans for 2021?
To have the wildest year of paddling yet…
Any final comments or things you’d like to promote?
Big thanks to RL for all the good you do! It’s a pretty weird year so far, but hopefully we’ll all be back out on adventures soon! Keep charging forwards and watch this space…Oh and I finally got round to making a Youtube Channel!
Photo credits, from top: Eli Castleberry, Dominic Glur, Tom Clare, John Scholey
